atwood



Niel 31,510. PATBNTED FEB. 19, 1861.

- J. E. ATWOOD & L. LEIGH.

MAGHINE FOR SO'RTING SILK THREAD.

7 UNITED STAWEN J. E. ATWOOD, OF MANSFIELD CENTER, AND LEWIS LEIGH, OF SEYMOUR, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND ATVV'OOD & MESSINGER & BROTHER.

MACHINE FOR SORTING SILK THREAD.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,510, dated February 19', 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OHN E. A'rwooD, of 1 and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus or Machinery for Sorting Raw Silk or other Threads According to Size; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which.

Figure 1, is a side view of a silk sizing machine with our improvements, partly in section. Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the same at right angles to Fig. 1, in the plane indicated by the 00, w, in that figure. Fig. 3, is. a. plan of the same with the winding apparatus removed, the better to expose to View the parts below it.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention is intended more especially to be used in connection with that kind of apparatus for gaging or determining the size of a thread, which constitutes the subject matter of Letters Patent of John Atwood, aforesaid, dated April 12, 1859, but may be for the most partapplicablein connection with other gaging devices.

It consists principally in certain devices, constituting a stop motion, employed in combination with a bobbin on which the thread is taken up from the gaging apparatus, for the purpose of stopping the drawing of the thread through that apparatus on the occurrence of a variation in size beyond certain limits, so that by the use of two or more bobbins each to take up all the thread between certain limits, and the changing of one for another whenever the stop motion acts, the sorting into as many different thicknesses between certain limits, as may be desired, or as it is technically termed sizing is effected.

To enable othersskilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the main framing of the machine made of any suitable. form.

B, isv a, frame or bracket attached to the main framing to carry the whole of the gaging apparatus.

C, C C are the rollers which constitute the gages, and D, D D the levers to which the axles 1), b 6 of said rollers are secured, said levers being arranged on fixed fulcrum pins 0, 0 0 Only three rollers are represented as that number is sufficient to illustrate our invention, but any number may be employed. In the patent of J. E. Atwood, before referred to, the lowest roller-is fitted to a fixed axle, but we prefer to attach its axle b, to a lever D, and to let the said lever rest on a set screw E, which is fitted into a suitable tapped hole in the frame B, as by means of such set screw the whole system of gages may be elevated or lowered, for all the rollers bear to some extent on the lowest one. The object of thus providing a means of adjusting the whole of the gages higher or lower will be explained farther on in the description where it will be more intelligible.

The lever D to which the axle of the uppermost roller C, is secured is made longer than the other levers to constitute an indicator as described in J. E. Atwoods patent, and the arm of said lever to which the said axle is attached, is made longer than the other one and provided at its extremity with a fork a, a, which constitutes part of the stop-motion. The shorter arm is furnished with a counter balance G, and has screwed through it a screw (Z, occupying an upright or nearly upright position. The said counterbalance is not quite heavy enough to balance the forked form, but the screw (Z, will by coming in contact with a fixed stop 6, secured to the frame B, prevent the forked arm descending below a certain position.

f, is a guide secured to the frame B, for conducting the thread to be sized, between the bottom gage roller C, and that C next above it, as it is drawn ofi from the bobbin g, upon which it is wound evenly preparatory to the sizing operation. This bobbin 9, is fitted to turn loosely on a fixed upright spindle h.

G G G are three bobbins onto which the thread which may be supposed to be silk and which is represented in red color throughout the drawing is sorted, that which is of medium thickness between certain limits being received on G that which is thicker on G and that which is thinner on G These bobbins are each fitted with a central spindle provided with suitable journals that either one may be arranged to rotate in fixed bearings in brackets 2', 2', secured to the main framing A, and situated above the gage rollers; and each has at one end a small drum j, which when the bobbin is placed in those bearings, rests upon the periphery of a disk H, which is fast upon a shaft I, which is fitted to rotate in fixed bearings in brackets J, J, attached-to the main framing below 2, 2'. This shaft I, has rotary motion imparted to it by any suitable means, and is caused to communicate rotary motion to the bobbin G G or G which may at any time happen to be in the bearings 2', 2', by the friction between the peripheries of the disk H, and drum j, for the purpose of making the said bobbin draw off and take up the silk from the bobbin g. There is to be suitably applied near the brackets 2', 2', a traversing guide to direct the thread on to the bobbin in such manner as to cause it to be wound evenly, but as this guide is substantially the same as is used in winding machinery generally, it is not necessary here to describe it.

At the top of the framing A, there is a rack K, K, in which proper bearings or resting places 12 ,70 ,70 72 and 72 are provided for the three bobbins G G G so that each when removed from the bearings 2', 2', may be put away till wanted again and the one for which it is to be exchanged can be at once found without the necessity of any examination of the size of the thread upon it.

The fork a, a, of the top lever D of the gaging apparatus is furnished with two pins Z, Z which point toward each other as shown in the plan Fig. 3. These pins Z, Z with a notched lever L, and a lever or swinging frame M, constitute the principal parts of the stop-motion. The notched lever L, is attached at its lower end to a fixed pin or shaft 2n, that is held in brackets 222*, 222*, secured to the main framing A, in a position parallel with the shaft 1; and the said lever is arranged to move some distance lengthwise upon the said pin or shaft as well as to swing upon it. The upper end of the said lever is made quite thin and has two notches 77,1, 22 in one side and a third notch 22 in the opposite side, the latter notch being opposite the space between the other two notches. The lever M, is secured to a small rock-shaft 22, which is fitted to bearings in two brackets 79*, 7f, attached to the main framing. The upper arm of the said lever has its upper extremity curved in such a manner shown'at q, in Fig. 1, that by a for ward movement it is capable of acting like acam on the under side of the drum 7', of the bobbin that is in the bearings 2', 2', in such a manner as to lift the said drum out of contact with the disk H. The lower arm of the said lever has its lower part bent to position parallel with its rock-shaft and in this portion there is a slot 2, also parallel with the rock-shaft for the reception of the thin upper portion of the notched lever L. The weight of the lever L, is so distributed that the said lever has always a tendency to fall back away from the lever D and so to throwback the lower arm of the lever M,

and throw forward the upper arm of the latter, and thereby has a constant tendency to throw the drum j, out of contact with the disk H, but this is prevented occurring till the variation in size of the silk passes certain limits, by the said lever L, resting against one or other of the pins Z, Z in the fork of the lever D as shown in black outline in Fig. 1.

The operation of sizing is as follows: The silk having been conducted from the bobbin 9, through the guide 7, between the gaging rollers C, G around the front of C and between C, and C or between every two rollers of the series whatever the number used, is attached to the bobbin G G or G which may be in the bearings 2', 2', and on the machine being set in motion the winding on the latter bobbin and unwinding from the bobbin 9, proceeds, every portion of the thread in itspassage from one bobbin to the other passing between the whole series of gaging rollers. In this operation the forked arm of the lever D termed the indicator occupies a higher or lower position according as the size or thickness of the thread passing between the gaging rollers is greater or less, and the lever L, rests against the pin Z, or Z of the fork of the lever D according to which of the bobbins G G G is w-inding. 'lVe will suppose for example that the thread passing between the rollers is of the medium size or thickness and the bobbin G in operation; the said lever L, is placed to Ward the right side of the fork as shown in Fig. 2, out of the way of the pin Z and with the portion between its notches 22 22, resting against the pin Z, and while the thickness of the thread passing between the gaging rollers continues within the limits of the medium size, the said pin Z, does not rise above or fall below that part of the lever; but if the size increases beyond such limits the pin Z, rises above the lower edge of the notch 21, or if it diminishes below those limits, the said pin falls below the upper edge of the notch 22 in either of which cases the upper part of the said lever is left unsupported and is permitted to fall back as illustrated by red outline in Fig. l, and carry back the lower arm of the lever M, and so cause to move forward the upper arm of the said lever whose curved upper end is thus caused to raise up the drum j, of the bobbin G out of contact with the driving disk H, when the further revolution of the said bobbin and the drawing of the thread between the gaging rollers will cease. The thread is then broken by the attendant of the machine close to the bobbin G and the said bobbin removed from the bearings 71, z, and placed in the rests 70 70 of the rack K, K, and the bobbin G or G according as the thread between the gage rollers is thicker or thinner, is placed in the bearings 2', i, the end of the thread is secured to the said bobbin and the lever L, is brought forward into the fork a, a, of the lever D and moved toward the left side of the said fork, where it will be supported by the pin Z the part above or the part below the notch n resting against the said pin according as the thread is thicker or thinner. The lever M, is then returned to the position shown in black out line in Fig. 1, to remove its upper arm from the drum j, of the bobbin G or G and the said drum then coming in contact with the rotating disk H, (which has not been stopped) the said bobbin is caused to rotate and draw the thread from the bobbin 9, through the gage rollers as before, and this operation continues till there occurs such a variation in the size of the thread passing through the gage rollers, as to bring the pin Z opposite the notch 01 when the lever L, falls back and so causes the stoppage of the rotation of the bobbin G or G as before described with reference to G The thread is then again broken by the attendant close to the bobbin and the bobbin removed from the bearings 2', 2', to its place in the rack K, K, and the bobbin G is again put in the bearings 2', 2', and after the thread has been fastened to it the levers L, and M, are adjusted as at first described to permit the drum j, of the said bobbin to come in contact with the disk H, and to commence winding on the said bobbin again. In this way the operation proceeds till all the thread is drawn from the bobbin 9, when the latter is replaced by a full one, the winding being stopped whenever a variation, beyond cer tain limits, occurs in the size of the thread when the winding bobbin G G or G in the bearings a, 2', is changed for that on which the larger or smaller size is wound as may be necessary.

By providing more than three notches a, a a, in the stop lever L, and more than three spools G G G it is obvious that the thread may be sorted or sized into more than three sizes, but it is found in the manufacture of silk, that by sorting into three sizes a suflicient degree of uniformity may generally be obtalned 1n the spun or twlsted article.

The duty of the screw d and stop 6, before described, is to prevent any very fine portions of the thread being broken by the strain to which the thread is subject in passing between the gaging rollers. The screw (Z, is so adjusted in the lever D by screwing it through the said lever that when the thread passing between the rollers becomes much smaller than the largest limit of the smallest size, the top of the said screw will come in contact with the stop 6, and so prevent the further descent of the longer arm of the said lever D and so relieve the thread of the pressure of the roller C and of the .lever D which is much heavier than the lever or levers below it, in case of a further diminution in its size or thickness.

The set screw E, hereinbefore described is to adjust the gaging apparatus relatively to the stop-motion as required to suit variations in the average thickness of the hanks from which the bobbins g, are wound. When it is ascertained, as it easily will be by a practiced eye and touch, that the general or average size of the silk to be sorted is small, the said screw E, requires to be screwed upward to raise the bottom lever D, and roller C, which will raise all the other rollers and levers; and when it is ascertained that the size is large, the said screw will require to be screwed down to lower the rollers and levers. In this way the proper operation of the stopmotion is preserved and the sorting into the given number of sizes is obtained whatever may be the average thickness.

hat we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The stop-motion consisting of the pins Z, P, in the indicator D the notched lever L, and the lever M, the whole applied and operating substantially as herein described in combination with each other and with the winding bobbin and its driving apparatus.

2. The screw (Z, and stop 6, applied in combination with the lever D substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The adjusting screw E, applied and op erating in combination with the lowest of the levers carrying the gaging rollers, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

JOHN E. ATWOOD. LEWIS LEIGH.

l vitnesses for John E. Atwood:

J. C. ATwooD, EUGENE A'rwooo. Witnesses for Lewis Leigh:

13. IV. SMITH,

Isa LEIGH. 

